Concrete floor installation in Mobile AL - a slab set up for the flooring you want
Putting tile, wood or carpet over new concrete? We plan the moisture barrier and drying time so the slab is ready when your flooring is.
What does a new concrete floor in Mobile involve?
Concrete floor installation in Mobile means placing a new slab, then finishing it, cutting its joints and curing it so it can carry the tile, wood, carpet or coating you plan to put on top. Most of the waiting comes after the pour, while the slab dries enough for your flooring.
Floor jobs are often an addition, a closed-in garage or a shop, and the owner usually knows what flooring they want. That's the first thing I ask, because tile, wood or carpet changes how we handle the moisture barrier under the slab, and then I help you plan when the floor will be ready for it. If the floor is part of a bigger project, we also build concrete steps and pool decks.
The price moves with the size of the floor, how much digging and packing the ground needs, whether the slab gets rebar, steel bars inside that keep cracks from opening up, and the moisture barrier your flooring calls for. The schedule turns on the permit, a cool enough window to pour and the drying time before flooring goes down. Your written estimate lays out what's included and what isn't.
What decides how a concrete floor holds up
Most of what decides how a floor lasts happens before anyone sees the surface, so here's what I'd want you to know before we set a single form.
The base under the slab
We dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, because a slab settles with what's under it. If the budget's tight, I'd cut the finish before the base.
Moisture protection for your flooring
An industry guide says moisture protection is required under carpet, tile, wood, vinyl-style flooring and seamless resin floors, so tell us your covering before we set up.
Where the barrier sits
A vapor retarder, the plastic sheet under the slab, protects flooring best laid tight to the concrete, but concrete poured on it settles and shrinks more than it would over a draining base.
Joints and curing on time
Control joints are grooves that tell cracks where to go, and curing is the wait while the slab hardens and gains strength. Mistime the finishing, the joints or the curing, and you get cracks, a top that wears poorly and uneven spots.
Pouring on a hot day
A builders' bulletin advises pouring in cooler hours, so a summer pour may be set for night, and says not to add water on site, since it can weaken the concrete.
Questions about concrete floors in Mobile
How much does a concrete floor cost in Mobile, AL?
A concrete slab in Mobile usually costs about $5 to $11 per square foot, and that's the going rate around here, not our quote. Decorative work like stamping isn't in those figures, and your floor's own number depends on its size, the base work and the moisture barrier. I'll measure it on site and put the price in writing.
Do I need a permit to pour a concrete floor in Mobile County?
Most likely, yes, because Mobile County requires a permit for almost any home or commercial work, and its exceptions are things like painting, cabinets and fences, not concrete floors. Inside the City of Mobile, permits go through Build Mobile, and a slab foundation in a flood zone needs an Elevation Certificate before the pour unless it was turned in with the construction drawings. We check with the office that covers your address and handle the paperwork when the job needs a permit, so it doesn't hold up the pour.
How long does a new concrete floor take to cure before I can walk on it?
A new slab should be walkable within about 48 hours, but concrete takes about a month to fully cure. To be safe, you may want to wait a week before putting heavier loads on it, like loaded shelving or equipment.
When can tile or wood flooring go over new concrete?
Only once the moisture inside the slab has dropped to an acceptable level, which takes a good deal longer than it takes to walk on. Flooring put down too soon can trap moisture underneath and buckle, blister, let go of its glue or grow mold, so we build that drying time into your schedule with you.
Does a concrete contractor need a license in Alabama?
On a home job over $10,000 in labor and materials, usually yes, because the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board counts anyone who builds, remodels or repairs a house at that size as a residential home builder. Some work falls outside the board's reach, so on a bigger floor, ask each bidder how the rule applies to them and check with the board.
How do I compare bids for a new concrete floor?
Ask each contractor how they'll plan the finishing, the joint cutting and the curing for your floor, because a crew that can't answer that is guessing. Ask how they'll prepare the base and which moisture barrier they'd use under your flooring, too. I'd rather you understand the job well enough to judge every bid, mine included.
Why Mobile homeowners call Quickset Mobile Concrete Company for concrete floors
I learned concrete from a boss who made you tear out a form that was off, and I kept that standard, but I explain the why as we go.
The estimate comes from me
I come out, look at your ground and write the estimate myself, so you hear it straight from the person running the job.
I'm on site for the work
Our finishers and form setters do the work, with me on site running it from setup to cleanup.
In Mobile since 2013
I started this business here in 2013, and 13 years on we're known for work done right underneath.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask about either when I come out.
Satisfaction guaranteed
Satisfaction guaranteed, and I'll explain each step so you can judge the work for yourself.
Get your concrete floor on the calendar
We work across Mobile County, over the bay in Baldwin County and across the line in Mississippi, so call (251) 219-6382 even if your city isn't on our list.
What happens after you call about a concrete floor in Mobile?
We plan every floor around what's going on top and when you want it down, so the steps run from your first call to a slab ready for flooring.
You reach out
Call (251) 219-6382 or send the form, and I get back to you myself to set up a time to see the job.
I walk the job
I check the ground and where the water goes, ask what flooring is going on top, and walk you through what the floor needs and why.
Your written estimate
You get the price in writing with what's included and what isn't, and we sort out the permit side before any work starts.
Pour and handoff
I run the job on site with our crew, and when we're done I show you how to care for the new floor while it dries.